A 27-year-old Aptos man was arrested this week on suspicion of burglarizing homes and vehicles on Trout Gulch Road and other Aptos areas in the past two months.

Michael Kenneth Hague is accused of stealing credit cards and buying gift cards and other items with them, said Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputy Ryan Kennedy.

Deputies retrieved surveillance images from some of the stores and interviewed witnesses. They found Hague about 7 p.m. Tuesday at a home where he had been staying on the 300 block of Siesta Drive in Aptos, said Kennedy.

Deputies said they also found evidence that linked him to five thefts and burglaries in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

Hague listed his occupation as a "pump technician" when he was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail. He posted $25,000 bail, according to jail records.

Two suspects in the thefts and burglaries remain wanted by authorities.

Both men are believed to be in Santa Cruz County. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to call dispatch at 831-471-1121.

Aptos

Graffiti reported at elementary school >> Graffiti has been reported for the third time in about four weeks at Valencia Elementary School and Rio del Mar Elementary School.

Graffiti was spotted about 7 a.m. Thursday and painted some time between then and 7 p.m. Wednesday, said Brett McFadden, chief business officer of Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

It was painted on the wall of a portable classroom, a storage shed, a brick retaining wall and on the main walkway near the school's office. The colors and style of writing appear similar to graffiti found at Valencia and Rio del Mar schools about four weeks ago but does not appear gang motivated, McFadden said.

Valencia Elementary is at 250 Aptos School Road in Aptos and Rio del Mar Elementary is at 819 Pinehurst Drive in Rio del Mar.

School leaders said they are stepping up security and working with Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputies to catch vandals. Alcohol bottles, condoms and syringes also have been found recently on Valencia Elementary's campus, which is in a wooded area.

Deputy Ryan Kennedy said graffiti in the area should be reported to the sheriff's Aptos Service Center at 831-662-0690. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to call dispatch at 831-471-1121.

Felton

Smell forces CVS evacuation >> About a dozen people were evacuated from CVS, 6247 Graham Hill Road, on Wednesday night after customers reported a strange smell in the store, Felton Fire officials said.

The smell was first reported by customers about 7:45 p.m. and an employee called 911 about 30 minutes later, Fire Chief Ron Rickabaugh said.

Firefighters cleared the store before investigating the smell, he said. Although firefighters used air monitoring equipment to figure out the source of the smell, there was no conclusion about what the smell was, Rickabaugh said.

But firefighters were able to trace the source of the smell to the air system after about 10 minutes, he said. An irritant was being blown into the air, causing people to cough and have sore throats, Rickabaugh said.

There were no reported injuries, Rickabaugh said.

Firefighters notified owners of the store that they had to fix the air system before the store could open again. The store was still closed Thursday afternoon while officials work to determine the cause of the smell and air irritant, according to a CVS employee.